World Turtle News, 01/19/2020

In India, scientist Ayushi Jain finds elusive Cantor’s giant softshell turtle, works to create community involvement to protect it

It is listed as a priority species for conservation under Edge of Existence (EDGE), a programme by Zoological Society of London (ZSL), as there is no ongoing conservation work on this species in Peninsular India. “The EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) programme prioritises species that have a high amount of evolutionary history and are threatened with extinction. EDGE species have few extant relative and thus, if we were to lose them, there would not be anything like them,” said Francoise Cabada, EDGE of Existence Programme Marine Biologist, Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London.

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Did You Know…

Cantor’s giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii), also known as the Asian giant softshell, is known to inhabit both freshwater and brackish ecosystems. Brackish ecosystems occur where freshwater and salt water sources meet, such as places where rivers meet the ocean.

Learn more here.

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Photo from Mongabay.

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WTN Editor

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